Albion
Not far from the Gare du Nord, and perfect for a pre- or post-Eurostar meal, Albion is run by English chef Matthew Ong and Kiwi barman Hayden Clout, who used to work at the popular Fish La Boissonnerie. Here in the scruffy but rapidly gentrifying 10th arrondissement, Clout offers a monthly selection of wines, while Ong cooks up worldly eats such as vichyssoise with oysters, and orange and lemon curd tart.
Address 80 rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière, 10th arrondissement (+33 1 42 46 02 44;
restaurantalbion.com). Closed Sunday and Monday. Cost €40pp, with two glasses of wine
Le Dauphin
Many of the city's best young chefs are opening wine bar annexes – this, one of the most notable, by Inaki Aizpitarte, is a few doors down from his bistro Le Chateaubriand. An international crowd throngs the sleek U-shaped bar. Teamed with the first-rate wine list is an edgy menu of small plates that changes almost daily, from snails and cabbage to buttermilk-and-olive-oil ice cream.
Address 131 avenue Parmentier, 11th (+33 1 55 28 78 88). Closed Sunday and Monday. Cost €45pp, with two glasses of wine. Reservations essential.
Le Verre Volé
Dauntingly popular, this hipster spot near the pretty Canal Saint-Martin is considered by many the best new-style wine bar in Paris. It was recently expanded, making it marginally easier to bag a table – reservations are de rigueur, and when you arrive check out the wine bottles on display, library-style, on open shelves. Don't miss the lamb and fig terrine and excellent cheeses.
Address 67 rue de Lancry, 10th (+33 1 48 03 17 34;
leverrevole.fr). Open daily. Cost €40pp, with two glasses of wine
Vivant Table
As well known for his elaborately tattooed arms as his love of organic and natural wines, Swiss-born Pierre Jancou worked at La Crèmerie on the Left Bank before launching popular Racines. "I love places with history," says Jancou, whose latest address is a small shop that once sold exotic birds. Dishes such as foie gras with artichoke salad and grilled poularde with organic baby vegetables are typical.
Address 43 rue des Petites Ecuries, 10th (+33 1 42 46 43 55). Closed Saturday and Sunda. Cost €40pp, with two glasses of wine.
Frenchie Bar à Vins
Chef Gregory Marchand's wine-bar annex to his bistro Frenchie offers a great opportunity to sample his cooking without the ordeal of trying to book a table at the restaurant. Expect tantalising small plates such as an earthy terrine de campagne with country bread and smoked trout with cucumber, pickled onions and garlic flowers. Sommelière Laura Vidal manages one of the most interesting wine lists in Paris right now.
Address 6 rue du Nil, 2nd (no phone, no reservations;
frenchie-restaurant.com). Closed Saturday and Sunday. Cost €40pp, with two glasses of wine.
Juvenile's
This friendly and reliably convivial wine bar in the heart of Paris is a terrific place to have a gab with a band of vinophile expats. Scots proprietor Tim Johnston raised eyebrows when he was just about the first to pour Australian wines in Paris but is best known locally for a superb offering of Rhône Valley wines by the glass. Haggis is always on the menu, along with terrific British farmhouse cheeses and charcuterie plates.
Address 47 rue de Richelieu, 1st (+33 1 42 97 46 49). Closed Sunday and Monday lunchtime. Cost €40pp, with two glasses of wine.
Les Papilles
Bertrand Bluy's bistrot à vins has become a Latin Quarter institution with an international and often academic crowd. At noon you can pop in for a glass of wine and a quick bite, but in the evening reservations are necessary to sample the value-for-money €33 prix-fixe menu by chef Ulric Claude. Dishes include pumpkin soup with tiny croutons, lardons, chives and shavings of raw chestnut, and panna cotta with stewed reine-claudes.
Address 30 rue Gay-Lussac, 5th (+ 33 1 43 25 20 79;
lespapillesparis.fr). Closed Sunday and Monday. Cost €45pp, with two glasses of wine.
Les Fines Gueules
Near the Louvre, this popular bistrot à vins has a fine setting in a handsome 18th-century stone house. The menu sources from the best producers in Paris, including butter from Breton Jean-Yves Bordier, and meat from star butcher Hugo Desnoyer. Typical dishes include pork loin with wild mushrooms and Jacques Genin's airy Paris-Brest (hazelnut cream-filled choux pastry).
Address 43 rue Croix des Petits Champs, 1st (+33 1 42 61 35 41;
lesfinesgueules.fr). Open daily. Cost €45pp, with two glasses of wine.
Verjus Wine Bar
Americans-in-Paris Braden Perkins and Laura Adrian formerly ran the Hidden Kitchen supper club before opening a restaurant and sister wine bar last winter. This cosy vaulted place behind the Palais Royal is only open in the evenings but pulls an interesting crowd. Bar snacks include buttermilk-battered fried chicken and a butterscotch budino that partners their dessert wines perfectly.
Address 47 rue Montpensier, 1st (no phone;
verjusparis.com). Closed Saturday and Sunday. Cost €35pp, with two glasses of wine.
Willi's Wine Bar
After opening his popular wine bar in front of the Palais Royal 32 years ago, Englishman Mark Williamson, who has probably had a bigger influence on what Parisians drink today than almost anyone else, is completing a major expansion. What's unlikely to change is the international crowd, the brilliant selection of wines by the glass and a menu that follows the seasons with dishes such as quail breast on salad leaves with spiced nectarines.
Address 13 rue des Petits Champs, 1st (+33 1 42 61 05 09;
williswinebar.com). Closed Saturday dinner and Sunday. Cost €45pp, with two glasses of wine.
